Apple has dropped serial number verification in the new retail box version of iWork 09, making the revised office suite simply "just work" for new users who have purchased it.

Previously, all versions of Apple's iWork productivity suite have always required obtaining a serial number to work past the free thirty day trial. This included the version installed on new Macs, the downloadable trial, and retail boxes.

In contrast, the companion iLife suite installed without any serial number system, as it was always bundled free on new Macs, and the company did not ever offer a trial download version. Once installed, versions of iLife just worked. Apple used serial number verification on iWork, as it does on its Pro Apps, to limit piracy of the productivity suite.

Apple is still selling iWork separately, so the free trial versions that can be downloaded and which will appear on new machines does require a serial number to unlock, which can be obtained by directly purchasing the software online.

However, anyone buying the new iWork 09 retail version introduced at Macworld will have the software unlocked as part of the install process automatically, sparing users from keeping track of their software key when they reinstall the package.

This will ostensibly allow users to pirate iWork 09 slightly easier, but it appears the company has determined that the risk of losing sales to piracy is less than the annoyance consumers face and the customer service efforts wasted in helping people find a lost serial numbers.

Piracy has also historically contributed to the popularity and market share of many apps by allowing users who are unlikely to ever pay for anything to use the software, resulting in wide adoption and subsequent sales from businesses, institutional buyers, and others who do pay for the software they use.

Apple may likely be hoping that the relaxed serial number restrictions will incite wider use of the iWork suite, resulting in greater exposure for the company's iWork.com online collaboration service as well. The service is now in beta, but the company hopes to eventually begin charging a subscription use fee for it, similar to MobileMe.

So you download a trial version which will need a key to unlock later on. You decide you like it but want the CD/DVD and booklet so you by a retail version at the apple store. Do you need to re-install it? There is no way at that point to activate the trial version because there is no key in the retail package? So it is either buy a key online and not get the CD/Booklet, or buy retail and reinstall?

Don't get me wrong, this is a great move. Lets hope it starts a loooong chain of events from all the other software makers.

I like this PR move. Product keys have never made sense to me. If someone wants to pirate software they will find a way to get it done. So really the license key is just an encumbrance to legit users. Personally, I get tired of fishing through my email to find license keys when I update or switch hard drives. Bravo Apple!

So you download a trial version which will need a key to unlock later on. You decide you like it but want the CD/DVD and booklet so you by a retail version at the apple store. Do you need to re-install it? There is no way at that point to activate the trial version because there is no key in the retail package? So it is either buy a key online and not get the CD/Booklet, or buy retail and reinstall?

In the time it took me to respond to you, you could of thrown the trial in the trash and installed (at least partly) from the disk. Are you really complaining about this?

So you download a trial version which will need a key to unlock later on. You decide you like it but want the CD/DVD and booklet so you by a retail version at the apple store. Do you need to re-install it? There is no way at that point to activate the trial version because there is no key in the retail package? So it is either buy a key online and not get the CD/Booklet, or buy retail and reinstall?

It just installs over the top and takes care of it for you.

The only time you need a serial now is if you have the trial version and want to upgrade it with the full version from a digital download of the full version. In that case, the "digital download" when you buy it, is just the serial number (I think).

As long as you buy the box version, you don't have to worry about serials at all. Just install.

In Windows, a window can be a document, it can be an application, or it can be a window that contains other documents or applications. Theres just no consistency. Its just a big grab bag of monkey...

I think theyre taking the approach Microsoft used to get Office to critical mass.

To explain: theyre offering it without restriction, encouraging uptake - even in the face of obvious casual copying. This doesnt make software infringement right, it just positions iWork in such a way that many will try It or switch to it even though they havent purchased it.

Its kind of a we know youll pirate it, but in the end youll see the value in it and support it in a future version.

So you download a trial version which will need a key to unlock later on. You decide you like it but want the CD/DVD and booklet so you by a retail version at the apple store. Do you need to re-install it? There is no way at that point to activate the trial version because there is no key in the retail package? So it is either buy a key online and not get the CD/Booklet, or buy retail and reinstall?

Don't get me wrong, this is a great move. Lets hope it starts a loooong chain of events from all the other software makers.

the CD doesn't require a key be inputted. just the trial to show that you bought it.

i suspect they figure they will make their money on iwork.com

in fact I wouldn't be shocked if in a go around or two they start preinstalling iwork like they do ilife already.

oh and you don't have to register it either if you don't. just open any program 3 times and say 'register later', number 3 will say 'never register'.

So you download a trial version which will need a key to unlock later on. You decide you like it but want the CD/DVD and booklet so you by a retail version at the apple store. Do you need to re-install it? There is no way at that point to activate the trial version because there is no key in the retail package? So it is either buy a key online and not get the CD/Booklet, or buy retail and reinstall?

Don't get me wrong, this is a great move. Lets hope it starts a loooong chain of events from all the other software makers.

Bought mine at the Apple store two weeks ago. Had the trial version on my computer. I simply inserted the install disk, clicked the Pages trial version icon on my dock and the application opened without the intermediate Buy/Trial screen.

It would make sense to offer iWork for free when you get yourself a new OS or computer ...

I don't know how this could be seen as a good idea at all.

They already give you the OS for free when you buy the computer as well as iLife which is a huge value. Other than iWork or Office, many people never need to buy software for the computer again. If iWork was free, you wouldn't have to buy anything other than the computer and people would start to think they were entitled to free everything.

Apple's software is already outrageously inexpensive compared to it's competitors. I could see the price of the OS dropping a bit to keep it in line with their other product pricing, or all of it dropping in unison over time, but free?

It makes more sense to pay for iWork and make the online component free than it does to do the reverse.

In Windows, a window can be a document, it can be an application, or it can be a window that contains other documents or applications. Theres just no consistency. Its just a big grab bag of monkey...

I think having a $79 price also helps eliminate piracy, because it is affordable. I think it is ridiculous to have to pay any more than $100 for a license for this type of software..

I wish software companies would get rid of things like the iLok. I think that is just a ridiculous way of piracy protection.. In the Audio Recording market, a lot of companies use iLok and it uses up a USB port that might be needed for something else.

I think a simply serial number is all that is needed for the professional applications as well as giving support to registered users is enough since most users probably will need support at some point in time for the apps that are more complex to use.

customize each DVD with the serial number embedded in it? Say, most of the DVD is stamped normally, but the DVD may have a small +-R portion, that gets a serial number written to, and the installer reads that instead of having the user type it in?

There will always be someone stealing software, but this move from Apple shows that they trust the community. If people want the software, they know people will pay for it. This motion is unlike other companies who assumes users are thieves and make them go through pains to prove they are owners of the software by entering serial numbers or inserting the original CD. For example, I bought a Windows netbook with Windows XP Home serial number label on the bottom of the laptop. After a couple months of use, the label is no longer legible.

Its kind of a we know youll pirate it, but in the end youll see the value in it and support it in a future version.

Not really. It's more like, "we know you'll pirate it and never pay for it, but your shenanigans will increase its general popularity so that other people might throw money at it." Those willing to steal and crack an app rarely end up forking over cash later on.

Anyway, I'm not even going to jack the suite until they fix the ridiculous snail pace of Pages. I've used it on both Intel and PPC and it feels like I'm moving pillows around. I like the idea and integration, but the constant click-to-action delay drives me nuts. What's the deal?

Fantastic. Man they make it hard to test my sense of ethics. The cheapskate in me wants to buy the Mac Box Set single computer edition and then liberally install LOL. The ethical part wants me to buy the Family License and hope that Snow Leopard is cheap.

He's a mod so he has a few extra vBulletin privileges. That doesn't mean he should stop posting or should start acting like Digital Jesus.- SolipsismX

I'd too would like to see iWork installed on all new Macs if only for the reason that the same software would be available everywhere you go (public computers etc.). I would be comfortable with them charging for it it the time too.

Maybe they don't want to alienate other developers by including a productivity suite right out of the box. I reckon the relationship with Microsoft would be on tender hooks as it is.

I'm the only one in my family who uses a Mac - everyone else uses Windows. I always buy the Family Pack because I'm going to install it on all 3 of my Macs. Of course I can only use one computer at a time so I guess I could justify buying the single user version but it doesn't cost that much more anyway.

I'm the only one in my family who uses a Mac - everyone else uses Windows. I always buy the Family Pack because I'm going to install it on all 3 of my Macs. Of course I can only use one computer at a time so I guess I could justify buying the single user version but it doesn't cost that much more anyway.

You should be buying the single user version. A single user can have multiple computers but can only use the software on one computer at a time, so it's totally valid for you to use a single user license.

In Windows, a window can be a document, it can be an application, or it can be a window that contains other documents or applications. Theres just no consistency. Its just a big grab bag of monkey...

So you download a trial version which will need a key to unlock later on. You decide you like it but want the CD/DVD and booklet so you by a retail version at the apple store. Do you need to re-install it? There is no way at that point to activate the trial version because there is no key in the retail package? So it is either buy a key online and not get the CD/Booklet, or buy retail and reinstall?

Don't get me wrong, this is a great move. Lets hope it starts a loooong chain of events from all the other software makers.

Yes, from trial to retail box took an install. It's rather quick. For me it was as simple as deleting the iWork folder. It apparently took care of the app support and any other folders needed without hunting them down for deletion ahead of the install.

I think theyre taking the approach Microsoft used to get Office to critical mass.

To explain: theyre offering it without restriction, encouraging uptake - even in the face of obvious casual copying. This doesnt make software infringement right, it just positions iWork in such a way that many will try It or switch to it even though they havent purchased it.

Its kind of a we know youll pirate it, but in the end youll see the value in it and support it in a future version.

I agree, I remember back in the day, 10+ years ago, MS had to know that people all over the world were pirating Word, Excel, and Powerpoint. I mean that you could find pirated copies everywhere, I knew then that MS was using revenue from paying customers to foot the bill for development costs and using the pirating to do viral marketing, brilliant move. Hopefully Apple is taking a page out of that book, viral marketing works best when the company producing the goods is playing along, and it really does work well.

It was easy enough to pirate in the first place... Now it takes nothing at all. Hrm... interesting approach, Apple...

But it makes things easier for the paying customers. Ever think of them? Often times, copy protection measures only inconvenience those that don't pay, and annoys those that do pay.

Quote:

Originally Posted by e1618978

Great! Apple messed up the serial number software, anyway - I had to type in the key many times on my wife's computer after it forgot that I had typed it in before. total pain in the butt.

Plus you had to type it in separately for each user on your computer, another pain in the butt.

Good riddance!

That isn't good, but I haven't had that. What I do for software keys is keep a text file with all the keys, a line saying what software and version, and then a line with they key. If for some reason I am reinstalling software, I can select the key, and then drag and drop it into the key window.

Quote:

Originally Posted by whatisgoingon

customize each DVD with the serial number embedded in it? Say, most of the DVD is stamped normally, but the DVD may have a small +-R portion, that gets a serial number written to, and the installer reads that instead of having the user type it in?

Seems like more work than it is worth, and possibly an expensive process.

Quote:

Originally Posted by cow

iworks for windows?

I would think that Apple wants to use its pay-for software as a lure to buy their hardware.